Feeding device for presses.



No. 645,720. Patented Mar. 20, I900.

W. M. HOLMES &. J. A. BUTLER.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR PRESSES.

(Application filed Sept. 1, 1899.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

,720. Patented Mar. 20, I900.

W. M. HGLMES & J. A. BUTLER.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR PRESSES. (Application filed Sept. 1, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet 2.

' vation',-par tsinlongitudiiial section and'parts' UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

WATSON M. HoL-MEs, F HooSIc EALLS, NEW YORK, AND JAMES BUTL R, 0F -WAREHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE P ANTE S COM- rE sscoMPANY, OF. BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,720, dated. March 20, 1900. Application filed September 1, 1899; SerialjNc. 729,248. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern).- g Be it known that we, WATSON M. HOLMES, residing at Hoosic Falls,in the county of Rens selaer and State of New York, and JAMES A.

BUTLER, residing at Wareharn, in the county of Plymouth and State of, Massachusetts, citi- Zens of "the United States, have invented a new and useful Feeding Device for Presses, of

which thelfollowing is a, specification.

This invention relates to feeding devices for presses, and is designed as a specific conv struction embraced in and covered .by the generic invention and claims of an application of George A. Lowryfor feeding devices 15f-f0r pres ses,executed May 27, 1899., filed May 29, 1899, Serial No. 718,647." 1

The objectof the invention ,is to provide ineans for efficiently presenting-the material into proximity to the slots'inthe head-plate and to prevent' the "same from arching or bridging across the slots, thus providing for the efficient feed of the material to the press.

The invention embodies a modified form of a construction set forth, described, and

George A. Lowry and Watson M. Holmes, dated September 1, 1899, Serial No. 729,246; audit consists,'substantia1ly, in the construction, combination, location, and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully. hereinafter set forth, as shown in theaccompanying drawings, and finally pointed-out in i the appended claims. I Referring to the accompanying drawings appearing thereon, Figure'iisa view in ele:

broken ofi, of a press, showing the application thereto of a construction embodying the prin- 4o ciples of our invention. Fig. 2is a detached detail view, in side elevation,-of a feeder-arm and its operating connections, a displaced p0-.

sition being indicated-by dotted lines. Fig. .3- is an edge view of] the construction shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan'view of the same;

Fig. ,5 is a detacheddetail view of the. cam for actuating the feede r'-arms.'- I

The same part is designated by, the samej reference sign whereverit occursf '50 Referep cesign A designatesa-chamber or claimed in a companion application filed byand to the variousviews and-reference-sign's superposed flattened and condensed spiral to the compressed massin the'chamber. In this manner the material is compressed andcorrespondingly advanced through the chamholder in which thematerial is compressed, and B a slotted head-plate therefor. These parts are mounted and suitably supported for relative rotation. For instance and in the form shown, to which the invention is not limited, the head-plate is held station'- ary, while the chamber is mounted to ro,- tate. Rotation may be imparted to the rotating part in any suitable or convenient manneras, for instance, through pinion O, driven from any suitable or convenient Source. The chamber or h01der'is open at both ends and, if desired, may be tapering in internal diameter. The head-plate is ar ranged over the larger end of the chamber or holder.

In the operation of a press embodying the features above noted a suflicient amount'of material is preliminarily placed in the cham-' -rotation to the chamber and head-plate the material thus preliminarily introduced to the chamber and which moves in contact with theunder surface of the head-plate eflfects a I drawing action across the slot or slots in the head-plate as it moves across them. Therefore'if additional material is presented to the slot or slots and in such close proximity thereto as to be brought into contactwith the sur plus of the mass of material in the'cham'ber' 'or holder such additional material, the fibers Y of which are already more or less entangled or interlaced with each-other, is caught or en- 8 5 gaged by the material in the chamber, and thereby drawn through the slotor slotsinto the chamber and between the surface of the mass in the chamber and the inner surface of the'head-plate, thus building up the bale in 0 Iaye s'or con'vol'utions, each succeeding layer being compressed vupon the preceding layers and adding to'the extent thereof an increment fber' byeach spirallayer added as an incre- 'gment' thereto, such materialfinally emerging from the chamber in theiormoffacondensed and highly-compressed column, the chamber operating as a holder for the mass of material which is being compressed and the head scribed embody in their generic principles the features set forth and claimed, broadly, in

Patents Nos. 581,600 and 581,601, issued April 27, 1897, and No. 630,369, issued August 8, 1899, to George A. Lowry.

The material to be compressed may be delivered to' the head-plate in' any suitable or convenient manner. In the form shown, to which, however, the invention is not limited, a basket or receptacle D is arranged over the head-plate, and into this receptacle or basket the material to be pressed is delivered and from which it is drawn into the chamber in the manner above described. It sometimes happens where the material is light and fluffy, as in the case of cotton,.wool, orthe like, and is supplied in large quantities to the head-plate, that such material arches or bridges across the slot or slots in the head-plate. This is particularly true where, in order to secure the desired rigidity in the construction of that portion of the head-plate which overhangs the open end of the chamber to enable it to withstandthe pressure against the inner surface thereof to which it is subjected, thehead-plate isso constructed as to leave a considerable ridge 9 or elevation in the surface thereof between head-plate.

adjacent slots, the surface of said elevations or ridges tapering orsloping toward the edges or lips of the slots. This bridging or arching of the material, which also sometimes occurs in the basket or receptacle before the material reaches the head-plate, is objectionable for the reason that the material is thereby prevented from coming into sufiiciently-close proximity to the slot orslots in the head-plate to enable it to contactwith the surface of the mass in the chamber. It is the purpose of the present invention to provide means for preventing or breaking "gllp these arches or bridges and for crowding or pushing the material toward the-head-plate and into suffieiently-close proximity to the slots therein to enable it tov be caught or engaged by the material in the chamber and drawn thereinto. These purposes are accomplished in the present instance by meansof one or more feederarms E, arranged to be rocked toward and from the head-plate. Each feeder-arm isarranged adjacent to the edge of the head-plate and is pivotally mounted on a stud or pin F,

suitably carried or mounted in a supporting plate G, the latter being suitablymounted or arranged on a stationary part of the apparatus. For instance, inEthe particular form shown said supporting-plates are mounted on the supporting-frame of the stationary Formed on or connected with the hub of such feeder-arm is a gear H, arranged to be engaged by'or to mesh with a rack-gear J, formed on or carried bya rod K.

From this description it will be seen that by projecting the rod K endwise the feeder-arm is rocked aboutits support. The rod K is acted upon bya spring M, the tension of which is exerted in a direction to oppose the endwise movement of said rod and to maintain such relative positions f: the rack J and gear H as to normally holdthe feeder-arm rocked 3 toward the head-plate to its -fullest extent. Therefore when the rod K is projected end- ,wise the feeder-arm is withdrawn or rocked away from the head-plate and against the action of spring M. We have shown a convenient arrangement of spring M, wherein it bears at one end against the inner surface of a cap L and at the other end against the end of rod K. The cap L serves to inclose the gear H and rack J, thereby protecting the,

same from being clogged with the loose material .supplied to the press. By this con struction wers'ecure a direct connection between the operating-rod K and the feederarm, and hence avoid a multiplicity of parts and joints, thus simplifying the construction support for the rods may be caused to revolve,

so as to move the ends of the rods along or over said cam-track. It is also obvious thatthe spring M may be omitted-and the weight of the feeder-arm depended upon to maintain the rod K in contact with the cam-track.

We prefer to, employ the spring, however, as thereby the advance of the feeder-arm to its work after being withdrawn and also the engagementof the rods K withithe cam-track -are assured.

In order-to reduce friction and to secure an easy operation of the device,-a frictionroller Q may be mounted on the end of the rod K to form the contacting surface thereof with the cam-track.

One or any number of the feeder-armsumay be employed, as may be desired, and where several of sucharms are used they may be arranged at suitable intervals around the head-plate, and by the rocking or swinging movement of said arms toward the head-plate the loose material is engaged and crowded or pushed toward the head-plate. An eflicient and preferable arrangement is to employ a feeder-arm in connection. with each slot in the head-plateand to arrange the same to operate in the plane of such slot and between adjacent ridges or elevationsiin' the surface of the head-plate. By this arrangement the formation of arches or bridges is prevented wall-of the basket or between the slots c0m-' posing such basket, as shown in the drawsuch feeder-arms in the shape of segments, asv shown, and to suitably point the tail or heel in gs.

In order that the feeder-arms may be easily withdrawn from the mass of. loose material surrounding the same when advanced to its work and without unduly carrying with them any of such loosematerial, we prefer to form what we claim as new and useful and of our.

'joint invention, and desire .to secureby-Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. A feeding device for presses, comprising a pivotally-mounted feed-arm havinga gear on the-hub thereof, a rod carrying a rack arranged to engage said gear, a spring normally operating to rock said arm into feeding position and means for projecting saidrod against the action of said spring for withdrawing said arm, as'and for the purpose set forth 2. A feeding device'for presses, comprising a pivotally-mounted feed-arm, carrying a gear, arod carrying a rack arranged to engage said gear, a spring arranged tooppose said rod, a cap arranged to inclose these parts to protect the same from dust or the like, and means for projecting said red, as and for the purpose set forth.

3; In a'press, a chamber, a slotted headplate therefor, and means for relatively rotating these parts in combination with a pivotally-mounted feeder-arm carrying a gear on the hub thereof, arod carrying a rack ar-- ranged to en'gagesaid" gear, a cam-track upon which said rod rests, said rod'and cam-track 5S respectively carried. by said head-plate and chamber, as and for the purpose set forth.-

' 4. In a press an open-ended chambe'r,means for rotating the same, and a stationary slotted head-plate, in combination with a feederarm pivotally mounted on said head-plate and carrying a gear, a rack arranged to engage saidgear, a cam-track carried by said-chamher, and upon which said rack rests, and a spring arranged to oppose the movement of said rack, as and for the purpose set forth. 6 5

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands, this 24th day of August, 1899, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

WATSON MQHOLMESQ- JAMES A, BUTLER, Witnesses: WM, M. RHEEM,

DA-NL. W. HOWLAND. 

